Chemicals applied to the croplands can help to reduce pests, encourage the crops to retain more water, and eliminate weeds that are competing for resources. It makes the crops more fruitful. Genetically modified crops not only help to save certain crops from extinction, but it can make them become more fruitful as well. An ear of corn can grow larger or a wheat field can become immune to a local fungus thanks to conventional farming efforts.
The genetically modified foods are even comparable in nutritional content. It helps farmers be able to feed the world. As the world approaches the 10 billion population mark by the year , croplands are going to be at a premium. Not all ground is suitable for growing food and there will be less land available because people will need places to live. Conventional farming allows for the potential of the entire world still being fed because it makes the dedicated lands more productive.
It potentially harms the soil. Conventional farming takes a toll on the soil that is able to produce crops. Electrolyte imbalances, chemical toxins, and eventually erosion all occur because the same crop is being grown on acre after acre of land. Infographic created together with Alison Bernstein aka Mommy PhD , who came up with the idea behind it.
Statistics on European organic farming can be found here , and you can read more about pesticides, antibiotics, GMOs, conservation tillage , and crop rotations in the piece below. In the same vein, taking things to more of an extreme, a rather worrisome suggestion comes from the Swedish Green Party, where they campaign for a shift into percent organic farming.
It makes me wonder if farming methods have become all marketing and politics? Where does science fit in all of this? What we really need now is an evidence-based environmental standard that we can encourage all farmers to aspire to. Organic could turn a new leaf and become that positive influence. My understanding is that it has inspired the farming-world wide adoption of several good methods in the past, such as Integrated Pest Management and use of cover crops — and it could do so again.
It could help us save the environment, including the land that can be spared from being converted into fields. It is worth underlining that this report focuses on Swedish farming or studies in comparable settings, or places where a lot of their food imports come from. There is almost none of the documented positive climate effect or decreased pesticide use effect from the use of biotech varieties in these results, as adoption of biotech crops has been painfully slow in Europe.
With biotechnology, it has been documented that conventional farming becomes more environmentally friendly, saving more resources, such as reducing pesticide-use, and allowing for the wider adoption of no-till, limiting erosion and run-off.
Studies on the key environmental impacts that crop biotechnology has had on global agriculture in and point out following advances:. The adoption of GM insect resistant and herbicide tolerant technology has reduced pesticide spraying by million kg The technology has also facilitated important cuts in fuel use and tillage changes, resulting in a significant reduction in the release of greenhouse gas emissions from the GM cropping area.
In , this was equivalent to removing From the piece: GMOs and the Environment. Another thing worth noting is that Sweden also has some of the most restrictive pesticide rules for organic. But organic farmers, like any farmers, do have a great need for pesticides, because they all direly need to have a way to handle pests.
Otherwise there would in many cases be no crop to speak of. In the wise words of the weed ecologist Andrew Kniss: Everything in agriculture is a trade-off. A similar detail analysis, such as this Swedish one, would be very interesting to see for instance for the U. The bottom line for me is this: no matter the label, I want to buy food that uses methods that best help reduce environmental impacts, particularly the ones that pose most urgent threats to our natural world today.
It is very important for me that we focus on environmental issues in farming, and that we do so based on accurate scientific information, not misleading marketing ideas. Iida Ruishalme is a writer and a science communicator who holds a M.
A version of this article was originally posted at Thoughtscapism and is posted here with permission. Thoughtscapism can be found on Twitter Thoughtscapism. The GLP featured this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis.
Participate Newsletter Donate. Conventional agriculture operates at a net energy loss, but implementing sustainable practices can reduce costs and benefit the surrounding landscape. Sustainable agriculture aims to enhance the composition of a landscape while producing sufficient yields. This method is so efficient compared to conventional agriculture because it requires no input of synthetic chemicals or fertilizers, which accounts for a large amount of the greenhouse gas emissions.
However, energy efficiency also takes into account the ratio of input to output. This meant that conventional crop production had the highest net energy production, whereas organic crop production had the highest energy efficiency. Even though conventional systems produce greater yields than sustainable systems, organic crop production is the most energy efficient method. Studies point toward sustainable agriculture as the best solution to managing the growing population.
Although the benefits of sustainable agriculture are abundant, there are several constraints to adopting this method worldwide. Climate conditions vary with geography so where sustainable agriculture is the most efficient system in one part of the world, it may not be entirely feasible in another. Many factors determine the performance of agricultural methods and often the most effective type of agriculture requires a combination of techniques.
In addition to local constraints, sustainable agriculture also requires much more labor to maintain crops. Advancements in this science have enabled humans to manipulate entire ecosystems to cater to their survival. But as populations continue to grow, resources are becoming limited. In a comparison of sustainable and conventional agriculture, organic farming methods are shown to perform much better for a number of indicators.
Sustainable agriculture consumes less water and energy, enhances soil composition, and forgoes synthetic chemical input. Conventional agriculture cannot meet the needs of the current population without compromising the integrity of the environment. Sustainable agriculture has the potential to sequester carbon, feed the world, and enrich the environment.
The social, economic, and environmental benefits of this system are reasons why sustainable agriculture is the most viable way to accommodate growing trends. I read the above article and got some knowledge from your article which is about Sustainable agriculture is still an important issue.
Thanks for sharing it. Thanks for the useful information. To be honest, I had no idea that the problem of environmental pollution is so acute. I was surprised when I read the articles on the helpful site , but it got me thinking. I got some unique and valuable information from your article. Thankful to you for sharing an article like this. Why is sustainable agriculture so important to us? Impact of Sustainable Agriculture.
I read the article and really very informative and easy for understanding about the conventional and sustainable agriculture farming. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. History of Agriculture Agriculture has played a tremendous role in the advancement of human society.
Conventional Agriculture Conventional agriculture is a broad term that has a number of definitions, but a crop can be classified as conventional if synthetic chemicals are used to maintain the plants. Sustainable Agriculture Where conventional farming represents one extreme of agriculture, sustainable farming represents the other. Conclusion Studies point toward sustainable agriculture as the best solution to managing the growing population. References Gomiero, T. Organic Agriculture.
Carpenter, J, E. Impact of GM Crops on Biodiversity. Nicholls, C. A Review. Wu, J. Sustainable Vs. Smith, J. Organic food isn't tastier or healthier than conventional food.
And no matter what Mom and Pop say, organic farms use pesticides. Lots of them. And now, a new study in Nature Sustainability says that gigantic, high-yield "corporate" farms are better for the environment than Mom and Pop's organic one. The study essentially confirms what ought to be common sense: It is better for the environment if we farm as efficiently as possible. That way, we can use less land for farming and conserve the rest for biodiversity.
The classic retort is that is the cost of having an environmentally friendly farm. But this new study, which had three major findings, shows that's not true. First, the researchers discovered that useful data on the environmental impact of farming was hard to find.
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